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IN TRANSIT; A Banner Season for Whitewater Rafting

By ELAINE GLUSAC

Published: June 5, 2011

Rafting outfitters in the West expect higher water and a longer river-running season because of above-average snowpack and a cool, wet spring.

In Idaho's Sawtooth Mountains, little has melted above 6,000 feet yet, said Steve Lentz, owner of Far and Away Adventures, who expects later and more sustained melting to feed the Middle Fork of the Salmon River. Given the faster water, Far and Away is introducing shorter two- and three-night trips there.

''This could be one of the most outstanding years since the 1970s,'' Mr. Lentz said.

Citing similar conditions in Utah and Arizona, Brian Merrill, chief executive officer of Western River Expeditions, predicts one of the best rafting years of the past 50 in the Colorado River Basin. The company isn't changing its itineraries, but the trips on swifter water may proceed faster, allowing more time on shore for hiking, fishing and exploring.

This is a more complete version of the story than the one that appeared in print.

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